Polypheretima taprobanae ( Beddard, 1892 )

Nguyen, Tung T., Tran, Binh T. T. & Nguyen, Anh D., 2014, Earthworms of the ' acaecate' Pheretima group in Vietnam (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae), with description of a new species from the Mekong delta, Zootaxa 3866 (1), pp. 105-121 : 117

Polypheretima taprobanae ( Beddard, 1892)

( Figs 3 , 5 )

Perichaeta taprobanae Beddard, 1892: 163 ; Beddard 1895: 411; Michaelsen 1900: 308. Metapheretima taprobanae — Sims & Easton 1972: 181, 233.

Polypheretima taprobanae — Easton 1979: 45, Fig. 20c; Nakamura 1999: 8; Blakemore 2002: 234, Fig. 2.20; 2007: 97. Perichaeta pauli Michaelsen 1897: 243 , Fig. 26.

Pheretima taprobanae var. pauli — Michaelsen 1900: 309.

Metapheretima pauli — Sims & Easton 1972: 233.

Pheretima taprobanae — Gates, 1972: 220.

Type locality. Sri Lanka.

Type material. In the collection of the Oxford University Museum, U.K.

Material examined. 6C (SORC-V.241.2) Quang Binh province, Bo Trach District, Tan Trach commune, 18 May 1991, coll. Nguyen Van Thuan; 1C (SORC-V.241.6) Quang Binh province, Tuyen Hoa district, Mai Hoa commune, tea planted hill, 20 August 1991, coll. Nguyen Duc Tan; 1C (SORC-V.241.3) Quang Nam province, Nui Thanh district, Ky Ha, 24 January 1989, coll. Pham Thi Hong Ha; 1C, 1A (SORC-V.241.6) Quang Ngai province, garden, 30 November 1994, coll. Cao Van Sung; 3C ( HUE) Lam Dong province, Dam Rong District, Da Tong Commune, short-term tree growing land near Da Nhim forest, <600m asl, 14 April 2013 coll. Nguyen Van Nam; 3C + 3A ( HUE) Lam Dong province, Dam Rong District, Da Rsal commune, bare hill, 600-800m asl, 14 April 2013, coll. Nguyen Van Nam; 5C (CTU-EW027) Vinh Long province, Vung Liem District, Trung Thanh commune, 9 November 2008, coll. Nguyen Thi Nhi.

Records from Vietnam. Nghe An Province (Quy Hop); Quang Binh Province (Tuyen Hoa; Minh Hoa; Quang Trach; Bo Trach); Quang Tri Province (Quang Tri; Huong Hoa); Thua Thien Hue Province (Huong Dien; Hue city); Da Nang city (Hoa Vang); Quang Nam Province (Que Son; Hiep Duc; Nui Thanh; Tien Phuoc; Tra My); Quang Ngai Province (Tu Nghia); Gia Lai Province (Pleiku city); Binh Dinh Province; Vinh Long Province (Vung Liem) ( Do 1994; Nguyen 1994; Pham 1995a; Huynh 1996; Nguyen & Tran 2008).

Distribution. A cosmopolitan species ( Blakemore 2002, 2007).

Remarks. The species has been recorded from various parts of the world ( India, Sri Lanka, Seychlles, Brazil, Hawaii, Madagascar, Fiji, Australia, Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea) ( Blakemore 2002). However, its homeland is still unknown exactly. The species possibly originated in Southeast Asia ( Easton 1979) or in Papua New Guinea ( Gates 1972). A new illustration of Po. taprobanae is provided in this study ( Fig. 5 ) because there are no available figures of this species from Vietnamese samples.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Distribution of species of the genus Polypheretima in Vietnam. The exotic Po. elongata with many records all over the country is omitted.

FIGURE 5. Polypheretima taprobanae (Beddard, 1892) from Vung Liem, Vinh Long Province. A. Male pore region (mp = male pore, gm = genital marking). B. Spermathecae (amp = ampulla, dv = diverticula); C. Prostate gland. Scale = 1 mm.